The best October Prime Day Apple deals: Save $100 on the iPad Air and more

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Prime Big Deal Days sale is live — and so are some shockingly excellent Apple deals. This 48-hour “October Prime Day” serves as Amazon’s kickoff to the Black Friday holiday shopping season, which is the best time to find discounts on popular Apple devices (among many other tech products we love). This year, it doubles as some much-needed relief from RAMageddon price increases.

On the second day of the sale, which wraps up at midnight tonight (Oct. 7), Amazon continues to offer some great deals on AirPods, Apple Watches, iPads, and MacBooks. Some of them are even better than we expected: The new Apple Watch Series 12 got its first real discount, and the M5 MacBook Air is $200 off — a discount that nullifies its summer price hike. The 13-inch model now starts at $1,099 for the first time since June.

In the biggest surprise of October Prime Day so far, Amazon revived the original AirPods Pro from 2019 at the ridiculously low price of $89.99 first thing yesterday (a 64% savings). That deal sold out fast, but might return in the next 24 hours or so. We’re updating this story with any new October Prime Day Apple deals as we find them, so keep checking back.

How we picked the best October Prime Day Apple deals

Mashable tracks Apple prices year-round and has covered Prime Big Deal Days since it started in 2022 (back when it was still called the Prime Early Access Sale). We’ve reviewed every current Apple device except for the Apple Watch Series 12, which shares all of its new features with the Apple Watch Ultra 4; and the latest Mac desktops, which our sister site PCMag has already tested extensively.

To identify the very best October Prime Day Apple deals, we’ve compared Amazon’s current prices with historical data on camelcamelcamel, a popular price-tracking site, as well as our coverage of past Amazon Prime events. Most of the devices we’ve featured here are sitting at their lowest prices in three months. (iPads were cheaper in July, but to be fair, they were also impacted by price hikes along with MacBooks.)

I’ve cross-checked all of Amazon’s live Apple deals with other major retailers’ sales to make sure no one else has even lower prices. Right now, the only devices I would buy elsewhere are the AirPods 4 with and without ANC: They’re sold out on Amazon, but Walmart still has them in stock at three-month lows. Stay tuned to see if Amazon brings them back at the same prices as Prime Big Deal Days wraps up.

Note: Any items that have been struck through were sold out at the time of writing, but could return later on. Deals marked with a 🔥 have fallen to all-time lows (as in, they’ve never been cheaper before).

Best AirPods deal

The entry-level AirPods 4 are now 39% cheaper than the AirPods 5 that Apple announced last month. (They’re also only $10 away from their record-low price from last Black Friday.) They lack noise cancellation and don’t sound quite as good as their successors, but this deal makes them a very smart pick for budget buyers. Mashable’s Bethany Allard notes that “their availability may be limited as we get further into the shopping season,” so best grab ’em now while you still can.

Read Mashable’s full review of the Apple AirPods 4.

More AirPods deals

Beats deals

Best Apple Watch deal

Apple’s latest flagship smartwatch got its first proper discount for Prime Big Deal Days: a welcome $50-ish off. (That applies to the base model and the upgraded version with cellular connectivity, by the way.) Compared to the last-gen Series 11, the Series 12 has a faster processor, better heart rate sensors, quicker charging, and more durable glass. It also adds support for features like Readiness and Audio Intelligence tools like Siri Recap. Only Target was matching Amazon’s prices at the time of writing.

More Apple Watch deals

Best MacBook deal

Finally: The 13- and 15-inch M5 MacBook Air are both $200 off for Prime Big Deal Days, a discount that completely erases their price hikes from late June. Mashable tech editor Timothy Beck Werth called Apple’s ultraportable “a damn near-perfect machine” in his review, pointing to its elite design, amazing speakers, and incredibly fast performance. It’s a Mashable Choice Award winner, and we think it’s the best MacBook for most people who just need a dependable daily driver. If either size sells out on Amazon, look for the same deals at Best Buy.

Read Mashable’s full review of the M5 Apple MacBook Air.

More MacBook deals

• Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $689 $699 (save $10)

• Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,399 $1,599 (save $200)

• Apple MacBook Air, 15-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,599 $1,799 (save $200)

• Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M5, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,599 $1,799 (save 200)

• Apple MacBook Air, 15-inch (M5, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,799 $1,999 (save $200)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,839 $1,999 (save $160)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,039 $2,199 (save $160)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5 Pro with 18-core CPU/20-core GPU, 24GB RAM, 2TB SSD) — $2,699 $3,199 (save $500)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5 Max, 36GB RAM, 2TB SSD) — $3,499 $4,099 (save $600)

Mac deals

• Apple Mac mini (M6, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $779.99 $899 (save $119.01) 🔥

• Apple Mac mini (M6, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $949.99 $1,099 (save $149.01) 🔥

• Apple Mac mini (M6, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,149.99 $1,299 (save $149.01) 🔥

• Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max, 36GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $2,299 $2,499 (save $200) 🔥

Best iPad deal

The 11-inch M4 iPad Air, our reigning favorite iPad for most people, packs incredible performance and a beautiful display into a portable form factor. It’s a great fit for creative professionals on a budget, or really anyone who wants a tablet that can double as a computer. Right now, it’s $100 off with and without cellular connectivity (starting from just $649). If you’d prefer a tablet with a little more screen real estate, the 13-inch iPad Air is also $100 off for Prime Big Deal Days. Best Buy is price-matching Amazon.

Read Mashable’s full review of the Apple iPad Air (M4).

More iPad deals

• Apple iPad, 11-inch (A16, WiFi, 128GB) — $399 $449 (save $50)

• Apple iPad, 11-inch (A16, WiFi + cellular, 128GB) — $549 $599 (save $50)

• Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro, WiFi, 128GB) — $499 $599 (save $100)

• Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro, WiFi + cellular, 128GB) — $649 $749 (save $100)

• Apple iPad Air, 13-inch (M4, WiFi, 128GB) — $849 $949 (save $100)

• Apple iPad Air, 13-inch (M4, WiFi + cellular, 128GB) — $999 $1,099 (save $100)

• Apple iPad Pro, 11-inch (M5, WiFi, 256GB) — $1,099.99 $1,199 (save $99.01)

• Apple iPad Pro, 13-inch (M5, WiFI, 256GB) — $1,399.99 $1,499 (save $99.01)

• Apple iPad Pro, 13-inch (M4, WiFi, 512GB) — $1,299 $1,499 (save $200)

• Apple iPad Pro, 11-inch (M4, WiFi, 2TB, nano-texture glass) — $1,899 $2,099 (save $200)

Best Apple accessory deal

If you’re prone to losing things, there’s no excuse when AirTags exist. These little trackers go anywhere — on your keys, in your wallet, or in your luggage — allowing you to keep tabs on your most important possessions. At the start of the year, Apple released the second-generation AirTag with a louder speaker and a wider range. It’s now on sale for the record-low price of $24 (normally $29) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart.

Read Mashable’s full review of the Apple AirTag 2.

More Apple accessory deals

Prime members only have 24 hours left to shop Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sale. Sign up for a Prime 30-day free trial if you want to save some cash, and follow Mashable’s guide to the best October Prime Day deals and live blog for the latest updates.